Search - Various Artists :: The Best Of The Girl Groups, Vol. 1

Dazzling sound quality, Insightful documentation

dev1 | Baltimore | 08/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's little point in telling you if "The Best Of The Girl Groups (Series)" is "good" or "bad." That would be pretty silly: you're quite capable of reading the track list for yourself, and making that determination. What you will find with each of these discs is exceptional audio quality, superb packaging and documentation, and a touch of musical history.The audio quality of "The Best Of The Girl Groups" is stunning. Remastered by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry, it is difficult to believe that these recordings are more than thirty-years old. Rhino does a remarkable job of combing recording libraries for first-rate master tapes, then engineering these recordings to CD. I have yet to be disappointed with a Rhino "oldies but goodies" release. The sonics are immaculate - like hearing some of your favorites for the first time.Also, each disc is packaged in a jewel case with a complete and interesting history of the songs presented: information included is the artist, composer and release date.Although not surprising, "The Best Of The Girl Groups" includes only one song by a singer/songwriter. These tracks are primarily the work of producers. "Girl Groups," lacking independence, were practically interchangeable. And like the performers themselves, the songs were "manufactured" by teams such as the Brill Building Pop Writers (including Gerry Goffin and Carole King). Still, the songs are memorable. For trivia fans: try to distinguish those tracks produced by Phil Spector. Dazzling sound quality, insightful documentation, and a bit of popular music history. In my book, that ain't too shabby."

Memories of Junior High!

Brock R. White | Atlanta, GA USA | 05/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Each one of these songs bring back sharp memories of riding my bike down to the Arlington Record Store to get the latest 45 played on WLS. The songs are the originals and have been very carefully selected. Along with the top hits of the time, this includes gems like the haunting and unusual "Sally Go Round the Roses", the mesmerizing "I Can't Stay Mad at You" and Evie Sands "I Can't Let Go." This CD is a must for any baby boomer who grew up listening to AM radio."

A Time Of Innocence

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 07/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This volume (and its companion, volume 2) offers a terrific if incomplete overview of the girl group phenomenon of the eary-Sixties. By incomplete, I mean there are no Motown groups (Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas, Marvelettes), nothing from Philles (Crystals, Ronettes, Darlene Love) or Cameo/Parkway (Orlons, Dee Dee Sharp). Essentially this Rhino package focuses almost exclusively on Caucasion artists--but I suppose that would have sounded politically incorrect on the album title. But even with those glaring omissions, there are enough amazing songs here to make this an indipensable collection of girl group classics. Most of these songs were huge hits. All but five went Top Ten, and four of them ("Leader of the Pack," "He's So Fine," "Chapel of Love" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow") reached No. 1. Many of these artists were one-hit wonders (Ad Libs, Jaynetts, Claudine Clark, Jelly Beans), so this collection provides you with the hits and no filler. [A couple of exceptions: Cher doesn't really fit the category and "Dream Baby" never cracked the Top 40; the Exciter's "He's Got the Power" and Evie Sands' "I Can't Let Go" didn't chart either. While it's interesting to compare the latter song with the Hollies' version, I would have rather seen other hits by the Shirelles or the Shangri-Las instead that didn't make it onto either volume of this series.)While they don't show up as performers, Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry and Carole King/Gerry Goffin wrote six of these tracks, including the good girl/bad girl anthem "Leader of the Pack" and the song that begs the question "should I or shouldn't I?"--"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." The latter by the Shirelles is considered the first girl group hit from 1961.Most of these songs are classics and they all harken back to a more innocent time in the history of rock. Whether you lived through this time period or simply wished you did, this is required listening. ESSENTIAL"